Tallinn to Adopt New Public Transit Ticketing System
Published: 26.04.2011 15:53
Tallinn's paper tram tickets will soon be a thing of the past.
( Photo: Postimees/Scanpix )
An Estonian-Turkish partnership has won a tender to revamp the capital's public transit ticketing system, paving the way for a new, state-of-the-art scheme to come on line at the beginning of next year, the Tallinn press office has announced.
The city will pay 8.7 million euros over the next four years for the non-contact-based travel card system, which will be put in place by Estonian company Business IT Partner and Turkish firm Kentkart. The two won the contract beating out 11 other bids by 27 hopefuls.
The primary goal of the change is to merge the two ticketing systems used by Tallinn and the surrounding Harju County, according to Deputy Mayor Taavi Aas.
Tallinn's buses, trolleys and trams currently use a hodge-podge of ticket options ranging from high-tech, ID Card and SMS-based alternatives to sliding a paper ticket into a clunky, 1970s hole punch.
Replacing this system will save the city 440,000 euros a year, Aas said.
Of the 8.7 million euro cost, about 2.5 million will go towards equipping 566 transit vehicles with card readers and sales equipment, as well as devices for ticket checkers.
Steve Roman